Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers
by Venussail
Summary: This a is a YAOI fic, so don't like, don't read. Pairing: InuyashaxMiroku, Inumir. Inuyasha and Miroku have finally discovered their feelings for one another, but things keep getting in the way of their love. Will it survive the hardships?
1. Chapter 1: Meaning

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm sorry to those of you who have been following Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors and have been waiting patiently for an update. I've just been going through a lot of stuff lately and as a result I've been neglecting my story. I promise I'll update ASAP, hopefully within the next week or so. But first I wanted to get this new story I've been working on out there. This is my very first yaoi fic, so please give me a little leeway in your reviews. If you don't like yaoi, DON'T READ THIS FIC! I don't need to be pestered by bigoted flamers telling me that it's gross, or homosexuality is a sin, or other B.S. like that. For the rest of you, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned the rights to Inuyasha, then Inuyasha and Miroku would be together within the manga/anime. Seeing as that's not the case, I evidently don't own the rights to the story or its characters. I do own the rights to this story, though ^-^.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 1: Meaning

It was a bright, sunny day in Feudal Era Japan, and Inuyasha, along with Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku, was once again in search of jewel shards in order to complete the Shiki no Tama. Things were pretty uneventful thus far, making a certain white-haired hanyou more than a little ticked off.

"Man, we've been searchin' all damn day and no demon has shown up yet! Normally, we can't get them off our tails!" Inuyasha complained.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. It is only midday. One is bound to show up before nightfall, so stop being so impatient," Miroku said.

"Miroku's right, Inuyasha, it's only a matter of time before one shows up," Sango said, backing the monk up.

"Well, that time had better come soon or I might have to knock Shippo on the head just for the hell of it," the hanyou joked with an evil grin on his face.

"Hey!" the kitsune yelled.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo's "mother" scolded.

"Relax, you two, it was just a joke. You guys really need to lighten up," Inuyasha said, not at all sorry for his previous statement.

"Well, it wasn't a very funny joke!" Kagome retorted.

"Well-"

"Here they go again…." The demon slayer sighed as she watched her friends get into their daily heated argument. The others thought it was quite childish, but there was nothing they could do to prevent it from happening. The best they could hope for was managing to break it up before Inuyasha ended up eating dirt. Passive monk that he is, Miroku took on that responsibility today.

"Excuse me," he interrupted with a clearing of his throat.

"What is it, Miroku?!" Kagome and Inuyasha snapped simultaneously.

"No need to yell so violently. I was merely going to suggest that we take a break and eat lunch before going any further. It might help to calm everyone's nerves."

"Yay! Lunch!" Shippo shouted excitedly.

"Fine…" Inuyasha said begrudgingly.

As they sat there eating the delicious lunch Kagome brought from her time, the silver-haired hanyou remained uncharacteristically silent. His friends didn't pay it much mind, figuring that he was probably just brooding. In fact, to them, it was a miracle he had chosen to stay instead of eating his lunch solitary. However, the young hanyou was doing nothing of then sort.

He was lost in his thoughts, and all of them revolved around a certain lecherous monk. For some reason, Miroku had actually been on his mind a lot lately. He also caught himself staring at the monk with indecent thoughts on the brain. Between the thoughts and unconscious mannerisms, Inuyasha felt extremely confused. And he was not enjoying it one bit.

"Inuyasha? Hello?" Kagome questioned, waving her hand I front of Inuyasha's blank face. "What do you want?!" the agitated hanyou shouted, finally broken from his train of thought, at least temporarily. Instead of yelling back, the reincarnated priestess just looked at the half demon quizzically.

"What are you looking at?" Inuyasha asked rather rudely.

"Inuyasha…," Kagome started off slowly, "Is that a tint of blush I see on your cheeks?" she giggled, having noticed the faint tinge of pink covering each of the hanyou's cheeks. This only made him blush fiercer.

"My, my, whoever were you thinking about, Inuyasha? Kagome, perhaps?" Miroku teased. Now it was Kagome's turn to blush.

"I was not!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.

"Sure you weren't," Shippo chimed in.

"Watch it…" the hanyou growled.

"Come on, Inuyasha, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It is perfectly natural for a man your age to have thoughts of a sexual nature," Miroku said.

"Let's get one thing straight, monk. I'm not some pervert like you, running around, feeling women up! So just get away from me!" And with that, Inuyasha ran away from his friends, leaving a shocked and very hurt monk in his wake.

-----Scene Change----

Inuyasha kept running until he found a place far away from society suitable enough for him to brood in. Par usual, he ended up perching himself atop the highest branch of an enormous tree. "Stupid perverted monk…" he grumbled to himself, in an attempt to get rid of the pain he felt in his heart.

As he was sprinting away from the group, he had taken a quick glance back to them, though he had no idea what compelled him to do so. What he saw crushed him- a monk with a pained look on his face, as if he had just been hit by a 500-pound boulder. The worst part about it was that he knew he was the one who caused that pain. And that knowledge felt just like the times where he lost control of his demon side and ended up hurting innocents, including his loved ones. For the first time in a while, he was burning with shame and regret, nearly on the verge of tears. It was only then that he fully realized what he truly felt for the monk- love.

"Inuyasha?" The hanyou looked down from his perch to see a purple-eyed monk staring back up at him. His heart started to pound in his chest.

"What is it you want?" he asked, trying to keep up his cool exterior.

"The ladies sent me out here to find you. I guess I owe you an apology," the monk said.

Inuyasha didn't know how to respond. Should he act like he's owed an apology and simply take it in stride and go back to camp? Or should he take the monk by his shoulders and shake him until he realizes that he's not the one who needs to be sorry, that their roles should be reversed?

He decided to do something that was somewhere in between the two extremes. He jumped down from the tree and stood tall a mere inches away from the monk. Speaking softly, he said, "We were both in the wrong here. Hell, maybe even I more than you. There was just something about what you said that ticked me off more than usual, and I think I know why. I don't ever want you to get the wrong idea and believe that just because I was blushing that I was thinking about Kagome. I would never think about her in that way."

"Then who were you thinking about?" Miroku countered, truly wanting to know which girl suited Inuyasha's fancy.

'Uh-oh,' Inuyasha thought. The question he knew would come up once he had explained himself came up. Unfortunately, he still didn't know quite how to answer it without scaring the monk off. He could always lie, make up some girl's name no one ever heard of and put it off as someone he met before meeting them. Then again, telling the truth couldn't hurt, could it? What was the worst Miroku would do? He didn't seem like the type who shunned people.

"Come on, no need to be shy about it. Tell me, who's the lucky girl?"

"No girl," Inuyasha said solemnly.

"Wha-?"

Before Miroku could respond, Inuyasha grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a fierce kiss. He quickly caught on, however, and responded. Soon their tongues were in a battle for dominance that didn't end until their poor lungs were in desperate need of air

There was a long period of silence before either spoke again, contented with just looking at each others' flushed faces. Inuyasha took the initiative to speak first.

"Now do you see what I mean?" he asked, hoping to receive the "right" answer.

"Yes, I do," Miroku said before pulling his now lover into another deep kiss.

A/N: So what do you think? I'm used to doing action or humor stories, so this is a totally new genre for me. I hope you all liked it. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring Break, so I should be able to update this and my other story more often. Well, that's all for now. R&R please! Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2: Telling the Others

A/N: Wow, two updates in such short time frame! Go me! Anyway, I'm just going to tell you guys that this particular chapter isn't all that romantic, as it's the usual "come to an understanding" chapter that pretty much every yaoi chapter fic need to have. There is some romance though, at the beginning, so you guys won't totally be out of it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi is the owner of Inuyasha, not me. If I did things would be VERY different.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 2: Telling the Others

After about an hour of nearly incessant smooching, Inuyasha and Miroku broke apart, panting.

"Wow," Miroku said breathily, "I think I'm going to like this relationship."

"Me too," Inuyasha said while admiring his lover's flushed face.

"As much as I enjoy doing this, we should be getting back to the group. We wouldn't want them to be worried," the monk reminded his lover.

"I guess you're right."

On that note, the pair started a peaceful walk back to their friends, hands clasped together the whole way.

In the middle of their walk, a thought popped into Miroku's head.

"Hey, Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"A thought just occurred to me. What are we going to do if the others find out about our newly formed relationship?"

"They're not going to find out. We'll tell them."

The robe-clad man was shocked to say the least. He had always thought the hanyou to be the secretive type. It had taken forever just to get him to admit what happens to him on the night of the new moon, so for him to want to be so open about a subject as sensitive as this was surprising.

Before they knew it, their leisurely walk back had ended. Upon seeing the group, however, Inuyasha did not let go of his tight hold on Miroku's hand. Shippo could smell their mingled scents on both of them and gave them a look of confusion. This look did not go unnoticed by the pair.

"Hey, Inuyasha, what took so long?" Kagome questioned while staring at the clasped hands.

"Look, I'm just gonna put it out there that if any of you have a problem with what I'm about to say you can talk to me about it personally," Inuyasha said rather harshly, considering they didn't even have a chance to respond to a statement that hadn't been said yet.

"We promise we won't," Sango assured him. "Now what is it you have to say? It's obviously important."

"I'm sorry if this hurts anyone's feelings, but you were all gonna find out sooner or later and I'd rather it be sooner."

"Out with it already, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, getting impatient.

'Interesting choice of words,' Miroku thought to himself.

"I'm in love with Miroku," the hanyou stated plainly.

Shocked expressions were on the faces of the reincarnated priestess, the demon slayer, and the little kitsune.

"Does he love you back?" the demon slayer asked sadly.

Inuyasha looked at the stalled expression on his lover's face. He didn't want to speak for him because it was not his right to. If Miroku truly loved him, he would answer. Sure enough, the stalled expression turned complacent and Miroku answered with a simple "Yes." Tears started to form at the brim of Sango's eyes.

"Sango? What's the matter?" Shippo asked innocently.

"It's nothing, Shippo," the demon slayer lied. "I'm- I'm going to take a stroll. Excuse me."

"Poor Sango…." Kagome commented.

Miroku sat down and sighed. "It wasn't supposed to go like this," he said.

Inuyasha sat down next to him. "She would have found out sooner or later. This was bound to happen at one point or another," he said, rubbing the monk's back.

"I know… Actually, I'm surprised you're taking this as well as you are, Kagome," the monk commented.

"Well, I am a little sad that things turned out this way, but I think that if you truly care for someone you'll be happy that they found someone they can spend the rest of their life with, even if it's not you. Besides, at least it's not Kikyo," she added with a wink.

"You are very wise for a girl you age," Miroku commented, which earned him a genuine, warm-hearted smile.

----Scene Change----

Sango sat ion a flat rock by the river, trying to organize her thoughts and feeling so she could think clearly. Surprisingly, she found herself having a solo conversation with an interesting blade of grass that stuck out of the ground, towering over its brethren.

"I don't know why I am acting like this. I mean, I know I should be happy for him, but something in my heart just doesn't want to accept the fact that he's in love with another man. All this time I had thought he was a womanizer! I even thought –" Sango cut herself off, but finished the thought in her head- 'that he may have been in love with _me_.'

Tears fell from the demon slayer's eyes as she silently cried over the loss of her love to another. One of her tears hit the longest blade of grass and it glowed an evil golden color. The crying woman sensed the evil presence and looked up. The grass started to swirl around; the residue that it carried blinded her eyes and dried up the wetness on her cheeks.

"What's going on?! Who are you?!" she demanded.

"I am a nature being who goes by the name Likaro. I control this forest and all that is within it," the demon answered.

"You don't seem like a good demon to me."

"I never said I was. Now give me the jewel shards I know you and your group possess!" (A/N: Don't ask me how he knows, he just does).

"Not a chance," Sango said as she gripped her Hiraikotsu. She threw the giant boomerang at the demon, but because he was made of grass it went right through him without doing any damage.

"Damn!" the demon slayer shouted in frustration.

Likaro retaliated, possessing three trees with magic and sending them to attack the boomerang-baring woman. The trees slammed their branches down in an attempt to squash her, but she dodged and swung her Hiraikotsu around with such force that the trees split in half horizontally, coming to the ground with a loud thud.

----Scene Change----

Inuyasha's ears pricked up at the noise caused by the demon slayer.

"Did anybody hear that?" he asked.

"Yes, I think Sango may be in trouble," Miroku replied with a grave tone.

"We have to go help her!" Kagome said

"Let's go!" Inuyasha shouted, leading the rest of the group, including Shippo and Kirara, who transformed into her demon form, to their friend's aid.

----Scene Change----

Sango was in a really bad place right now and she knew it. Her weapons weren't working, even the bladed ones, because the demon somehow knew when her attacks were coming. This knowledge is why she had a huge gash in her arm that was bleeding profusely. She had tried throwing her sickle, but the monster caught it in vines he commanded to sprout up from the ground and flung it back at her unexpectedly. She was really regretting separating from the group about now.

"Sango!"

The demon slayer looked to her right and saw her friends running up to her, weapons in hand.

"Ah, I sense the jewel shards even more now," Likaro said. "Oh, they're coming from you girl dressed in strange clothing."

Inuyasha stood in front of the jewel shard carrier. "I have to give you credit. You managed to keep Sango at bay. But there's no way in hell you'll be handle all of us. Kagome, go tend to Sango's wounds. We'll handle this."

"Right," the girl from the future replied.

Inuyasha used his windscar and obliterated the grass demon, who despite how he tried with his vines, could not deflect or block Inuyasha's attack.

"How's she doing,?" the hanyou asked, sheathing his blade.

"She'll be fine now that the bleeding has stopped," Kagome said as she finished wrapping Sango's arm with gauze.

There was still a sad look on the "patient's" face, which didn't go unnoticed by her comrades. Miroku felt he needed to have a word with Sango alone. He looked at the others, who nodded in understanding before walking away.

"Sango…." Miroku started.

"No, wait, let me speak first," the heartbroken woman said, putting her fingers lightly on his lips. He was dumbfounded, but ready to listen.

"I know it's not you fault that you fell for Inuyasha. One can't control who they fall in love with. I think the reason I was so upset was because I had thought that maybe, just maybe, you had feelings for me."

Miroku gave her a sympathetic expression, knowing full well the feeling she held for him.

"But you know what? I'll get over this eventually. Right now, I'm just going to try to be happy for you guys," Sango said with the best smile she could muster.

"Thank you Sango. You have no idea how much that means to me."

The two smiled and shared a hug, not as lovers, but as best friends.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed. I wanted to post it today, so quite a bit of editing was done. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. R&R plz! Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 3: Sibling Rivalry

*Tries to sneak in quietly* Hello? Ack! (dodges various objects thrown at him) Okay, Okay, I'm sorry for not updating since the summer, people! I don't have a good excuse T-T. But, hey, you guys have been enjoying the oneshots I've been putting up in that time, right? Even if you haven't, I promise this chapter was worth the wait! And since you've been waiting so patiently, I'll cut the chatter and move on to the fic!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't sit when I tell him to, so I guess Rumiko Takahashi still owns the rights to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 3: Sibling Rivalry

Sesshomaru sat on his throne in his castle in the Western Lands. His thoughts were centered on Inuyasha's comrade, Miroku. Unlike his half-brother, however, he knew the reason why. There was just something about the monk that he loved. Maybe it was his lithe yet well toned body. Maybe it was his seemingly carefree nature that masked a more serious attitude towards life. No matter what the reason, he vowed to make the monk his.

----Scene Change----

"You know, I fully support your relationship, but that doesn't mean you have to have a make-out session every time we sit down for lunch," Kagome said as she watched the two lovers kiss after quickly finishing their meals.

The two seemed to ignore her comment, causing her to huff in frustration.

"Wow, I never thought Inuyasha could be so lovey-dovey. It's kind of sickening," Shippo commented, his face a grimace.

"Hey, can't a guy be sensitive once in a while?!" the hanyou snapped.

Shippo looked taken aback. "Jeez, no need to get so upset. I was just saying..." the kitsune said while rolling his eyes.

That was pretty much the end of the conversation and everyone returned to eating peacefully.

A strong gust of wind interrupted the peaceful lunch. Inuyasha and Miroku broke their kissing, sensing the aura of the hanyou's brother, which each person in the group recognized. Inuyasha stood up to confront his half-brother, who stood mere feet away.

"My, my, Inuyasha, I didn't know your affections for the monk stretched this far," Sesshomaru said with a smirk.

"Get off it," his half-brother growled. "What are you here for? Is this another one of your pathetic attempts to steal Tessaiga (A/N: Japanese spelling for Inuyasha's sword- I looked it up) away from me?"

On the contrary, that is not the reason I have graced you with my presence today."

The group stared dumbfounded and wondering what the youkai could possibly want from them. Perhaps the jewel shards they've obtained? No, he didn't seem like he was searching for jewel shards. If he was, he would have confronted them sooner. What could he possibly be after?

All of the sudden, Sesshomaru leapt in the air, only to land gracefully a few feet in front of Miroku. The monk stepped back a bit and took a fighting stance.

"No need to worry, monk. I have no intention of harming you," the youkai reassured him.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Miroku asked tentatively.

"Because I am a man of my word and I vow not to harm you."

"Then what do you want from him?" Sango asked.

"I am taking him as mine," Sesshomaru responded simply, taking a step towards the somewhat frightened monk, but before their faces met, Inuyasha nudged him self in between them and shouted, "Just what do you mean by that?!"

"I mean, you half-wit, that I am in love with him and have come to claim him as my own."

"What?!" the whole group screamed simultaneously.

"You heard me," Sesshomaru said coldly. "There is no need for me to repeat myself."

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around his lover and pulled him towards him.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku gasped, surprised by the sudden movement.

"Well you're not getting him. He's already mine!" the hanyou yelled possessively.

"We'll see about that," Sesshomaru said as he unsheathed his Toukijin.

"Hold it!" Kagome shouted abruptly. "Violence is no way to settle this. Why don't we all just accept the fact that Miroku is Inuyasha's boyfriend and move on with our lives?" she suggested, recalling the times when Koga and Inuyasha would beat each other to bloody pulps fighting over her.

"No chance," Sesshomaru said as he lifted up his sword quickly and attacked Inuyasha, who was barely able to block it.

"What the hell?! Why are you fighting me in such close proximity to your so-called 'love'? the hanyou shouted pointedly in anger for having Miroku's life endangered.

"For once you are right, Inuyasha. Let's move this battle to the open field over there," Sesshomaru said, pointing to an open area on his right.

"Fine," Inuyasha acquiesced, but not before turning to Miroku and telling him to stay put.

"I'm not exactly fragile, Inuyasha," the monk countered.

"I know that, but that doesn't mean I don't have to protect you. I am stronger than you, as much as you may hate to admit it."

Miroku paused for a moment before nodding in understanding. He gave his lover a quick peck on the cheek, signaling him to go. Inuyasha nodded and took off to make Sesshomaru understand what is his.

"Took you long enough," Sesshomaru commented.

"Shut up. Let's just get this over with," the hanyou said, clearly showing his imaptience.

He jumped in the air, making a vertical strike with his sword as he came down. Sesshomaru used his remarkable speed to dodge the attack and countered with his light whip (A/N: I don't know what else to call it...), wrapping it around Tessaiga as he attempted to pull it from the clutches of its master.

"Hah! I knew it! You were after my sword, you liar!"

The youkai didn't respond with words, but instead tried to show his half-brother his wrong assumption by leaping forward, whip still wrapped around Tessaiga, and impaled Inuyasha with Toukijin. The hanyou screamed in pain, blood flowing from the hole in his stomach as Sesshomaru removed it and kicked him backwards. Luckily, he was still clutching his sword, preventing his demon side from coming out.

"Naive brother, you should know your limitations before you fight someone, especially someone as powerful as me," Sesshomaru mocked as Inuyasha struggled to get up (A/N: Not necessarily true, but I just think it's something Sesshomaru would say given the circumstances).

"I've kicked your ass more times than I can count. You should know by now never to underestimate me!" Inuyasha shouted as he took a swipe at his sibling with his claws.

The youkai expected this, caught him by the wrist, and released his poison. He didn't hold it, however, opting to throw Inuyasha a pretty good distance instead.

"Give up," he stated plainly. "Accept the fact that the monk is mine and I shall let you live."

Inuyasha used his sword to help himself get up, panting heavily from the loss of blood. Using all his strength, he lifted his sword up and released his Windscar. Sesshomaru leapt above the attack and used his whip to give his attacker a good thrashing before landing.

"Damn you," Inuyasha grunted, his newly made deep cuts bleeding profusely.

Kagome peered into the distance, watching the sibling fight each other.

"Oh no, guys! It looks like Inuyasha is losing!" she shouted.

"Should we go help him?" Sango suggested.

"I think he wanted us to stay here," Shippo reminded them.

The reincarnated priestess looked over to Miroku, knowing his input mattered most. "Miroku, what do you think?"

"I think you three should stay here. This conflict does not involve you." On that note, he got up and started making his way toward the battlefield.

"Don't go, Miroku! You're the one he's after, remember?!" Shippo called out.

"I realize this, but he promised not to harm me. I am going to hold him to his word."

Sesshomaru charged at Inunyasha, sword outstretched and ready to make the final blow. Inuyasha was too weak at this point to get out of harm's way.

'Damn, I can't believe I'm gonna go out like this. I barely made a scratch. Miroku, if you can hear what I'm thinking, I want you to get over my death and find yourself another- don't mourn for me,' he thought, closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact. When the blow didn't come, he was shocked to see a purple robe in front of his face.

"Miroku?" he asked.

"Do not harm him any farther," the monk said.

"Out of my way, monk. This battle does not involve you," Sesshomaru growled.

"How not? I am the one you two are fighting over, so explain how this doesn't involve me," Miroku said sternly.

The youkai remained silent.

"That's what I thought," Miroku said, turning around to help his lover up. Just as he started to however, he was grabbed from behind.

"Ugh!" he grunted, feeling the pressure of strong arms around his waist.

"Bastard!" Inuyasha shouted as he saw his lover being carried off through the air by his half-brother. He forced himself to spring up and started chasing them, stumbling as he leapt in the air.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku cried.

"Stop struggling or I will lash the one you hold so dear down with my whip," Sesshomaru warned his captive. Not wanting Inuyasha to get hurt, Miroku did as he was told.

"Stop right there, Sesshomaru!"

"Huh?"

A lighted arrow hit Sesshomaru in his right arm, causing him to drop his captive.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted and quickly grounded himself to catch his lover before he met an untimely death.

"Don't you try and take him again or I'll be forced to shoot again," Kagome warned the yuokai.

Sesshomaru didn't like to admit when he was at a disadvantage, but this was such as case. The holy arrow had hit him in a particularly bad part of the arm to take damage and he was surrounded by Inuyasha's troop. Even the hanyou himself seemed to have found new vigor, a fiery passion in his eyes, probably because his lover's life was endangered. The youkai decided that it might be best to claim the monk as his at a later date. Without saying a word he stalked off into the distance.

"Inuyasha, you can let me go now," Miroku told his lover who was still clinging on to him like a child with their favorite toy.

"Oh right, sorry" the hanyou said, blushing.

"We need to treat your wounds," Kagome said to Inuyasha.

"I'll be fine," he grunted in response.

"No you won't, Inuyasha. You've been impaled and cut by a whip and lost a lot of blood. Besides, you're the one in a relationship- now is no the time to be stubborn. You want to protect Miroku, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"No buts, Inuyasha. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you won't be able to protect anyone."

"Fine..." Inuyasha grumbled and they started making their way to Kaede's village. However, one thought just wouldn't leave Miroku's mind-

'Why does everyone feel that Inuyasha needs to protect me?'

"Miroku, something the matter?" Sango asked.

"No," the monk sighed. 'I guess I'll just have to get used to it.... Although I hope everyone remembers that I'm still a man...'

Inuyasha saw the look on his lover's face and couldn't hold back a chuckle, knowing exactly what he was thinking. 'That's right, Miroku. You will have to get used to it.'

A/N: Don't worry, I'm not going to make Miroku totally helpless in this fic. He and Inuyasha will have a heart-to -heart a couple chapters from now. For now, though, he'll have to deal with it. I'm evil like that. I hope you all enjoyed anyway. By the way, I had forgotten to put the title of chapter one in the little purple title box, but it's there now if you want to know what it is. No changes were made to the actual chapter, so don't worry about that. Well, that's all for now! R&R please! Ja ne!


	4. Chapter 4: A HearttoHeart

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! I think I've been getting much better about updating on a regular basis, don't you? Anyway, I want to put it out there before you read this chapter that it DOES NOT mean that I will never make Miroku helpless in the future. I know that there are those of you who like Miroku to be helpless sometimes and there are those of you who aren't a huge fan of that, so I'm trying to appease both groups of people (even though I've yet to hear of anyone who dislikes a helpless Miroku, I'm sure those people are out there). This chapter is another one of my "come to an understanding chapters" and I think that's something couples should do on a regular basis to avoid break-up (not to say that every other chapter will be in this vein, but I think you guys get what I'm saying). Now enough of my chatter, on with the fic!

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 4: A Heart-to-Heart

"Ye are a fool, Inuyasha. Did ye not learn from your various bouts with Koga that fighting over a girl is completely unnecessary? I am sure, telling by the young girl's demeanor, that she has her heart set on you and only you. Kagome is a nice girl. If ye just took her up on her feelings, maybe ye wouldn't end up in these in these situations," Kaede lectured while tending to Inuyasha's wounds (A/N: Agh, ye vs you... _).

"I wasn't fighting over Kagome...." Inuyasha mumbled, barely audible.

"Really? Shippo told me you were fighting your half-brother because he tried to take away the one most precious to you."

"I was, but it wasn't Kagome..." the hanyou replied, averting his eyes.

The old priestess eyed him suspiciously- "Then who?" she asked simply.

Inuyasha's face turned bright red and he did not respond, instead looking even further away (if that was at all possible at this point). The drape covering the door to the hut ruffled a bit as someone entered the medical place.

"Ah, Miroku, ye have come to check up on Inuyasha, I presume?" Kaede asked.

Upon hearing his lover's name, Inuyasha turned his head to face him, the blush still tinging his cheeks. Miroku nodded and gave a warm smile, which Inuyasha returned. Kaede looked at the interaction between the two and started putting things together.

"Oh, I see..." she said.

"What are you talking about?" the hanyou questioned, eyeing the old woman suspiciously.

"Yes, Kaede, please inform us," Miroku added, also curious as to the old woman's thinking.

"Twas not Kagome that your battle was fought over, but rather Miroku. Am I correct?"

Inuyasha was rendered speechless. Never in his wildest dreams did he think someone like Kaede would catch on to his little love affair. Despite how wise she was, he always thought she was a little on the senile side, at least when the subject wasn't revolving around demon slaying, religion, old stories or medicine. In essence, he simply thought she was out of touch with the modern world (A/N: It's kind of weird to refer to the Feudal Era as the "modern" world, ne?). Miroku, however, fully expected the old priestess to catch on.

"Inuyasha, Kaede may be aged a bit, but that doesn't mean she is out of touch with the world. Besides, it's not like we're the first people to have this type of relationship," the monk said, noticing how wide open his lover's mouth was. The hanyou grumbled something, though no one could hear what it was.

Kaede smiled softly. "I'll leave the two of you alone now. Besides, I have to go check up on a young boy who came to me the other day due to illness," she added, in a vain attempt to cover up the fact that she believed the two needed some alone time.

There was a period of time after she left where both were just content to see one another after what seemed like forever, even though it had only been a few hours. Miroku walked over and sat next to Inuyasha, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"How are you feeling?" he asked his hanyou lover.

"You know me, I'm a fast healer. I should be up and about within the next couple of days."

"I'm glad because I wanted to talk to you about something and I didn't want you to be in immense pain while it was happening. It would interfere with your already poor listening skills." The monk's toned darkened a bit when he said this, scaring his partner a bit.

"What's that look for?" Inuyasha asked, his voice oddly high-pitched.

"I believe you know the answer to that question," Miroku replied, his voice stern.

"I do?" the shirtless hanyou gulped. He mentally slapped himself for not knowing, causing him to whine a bit.

"Are you alright?" the monk asked, though he had a feeling his lover wasn't contorting his face due to physical pain.

"Y-yeah, I-I-I'm fine..." the hanyou stuttered as he sweatdropped.

"Good. Now to get down to the questioning."

"Questioning?", Inuyasha asked, scared of his lover about now.

"First question- Why do you treat me like a woman?" Miroku demanded in a not-so-nice tone, the anger in his eyes unhidden (A/N: Nothing against women, it's just that the opinion of the role of women was much different in the Feudal Era than today, hence why Miroku words it that way).

"What do you mean? Since when do I treat you like a woman?"

The monk scoffed at the hanyou's stupidity. "Ever since we got together, you have been hesitant to let me fight, even though I've proven myself a capable combatant in the past."

Inuyasha thought he already explained this to the monk. "I told you before that I just feel the need to protect you. I know you're a capable fighter. Hell, you can probably best a lot of ordinary men. But there's just something in my blood that tells me that as the stronger one, it is my duty to make sure no one lays a hand on you."

Miroku looked into his lover's eyes. They were burning with a passion unlike any he had seen before, yet there was also love present behind the strong emotion. Pity (A/N: Not really), as he was just about to counter what his lover said before his mouth went dry. His eyes softened and looked down quickly before meeting those of his other half. To think, he thought he had to get used to it, being protected and all, then decided he'd rather not get used to it, and now he was back to square one again. He chuckled a bit.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha snapped, feeling a bit insulted because he thought his lover wasn't taking him seriously when he just poured his heart out for him.

"It's nothing, Inuyasha. No need to worry," Miroku chuckled.

The hanyou gave him a quizzical look, but decided to drop the topic for the fear of being berated again. Miroku leaned in and calmed his nerves by kissing him deep and slow. Inuyasha gave into the kiss, quickly gaining dominance. They were that way for about five minutes before both had to break apart for air.

Inuyasha took Miroku into his arms, being careful so as not to hit any injured areas. Miroku was surprised at first, but quickly leaned into the touch, resting his head against his lover's strong chest.

"I promise I'll try to go a little easy on the protective thing, but I ain't making any guarantees," Inuyasha said, speaking softly.

"I can deal with that. After all, it's the thought that counts," Miroku said, sure that it will take quite a lot effort on both on their parts to change things. For right now, though he figured he could deal with it. Besides, a little part of him felt it was kind nice to be protected, though he would never reveal that to his lover, especially after making such a stink. The pair fell asleep, entangled with one another and content with their current agreement.

A/N: Aww, how sweet! I'm glad the two settled things. Well, that's all for now! Coming up next: Kikyo! Stay tuned! R&R please! Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5: Kikyo

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! A few days later than I had planned, but I'm glad to finally be getting around to uploading this chapter. Now, I know I said I wouldn't make Miroku helpless all the time, but I've yet to accomplish that, so I'm giving you fair warning that he will once again be helpless in this chapter. On the plus side, I don't think he's quite as helpless as he was in chapter 3. Man, at this rate, I'm going to reveal the whole chapter before you read it! Time to shut up now! Let's get on with the fic.

Disclaimer: I've decided to make my legal life easier by declaring that I have no ownership of the rights to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 5: Kikyo

Rays of sunlight shined down through the cracks in the Kaede's medical hut, illuminating the two lovers' faces. Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open and he realized that he hadn't moved from the position he was in the night prior. Not that it bothered him as he was perfectly content holding the monk in his arms. That was, until he felt a sharp shoot of pain go through his chest.

'Must be from having him on me all night. Damn monk...' he joked in his mind.

A girly giggling interrupted his thoughts.

"Wow, look at Mr. Sensitive all curled up with his lover," Kagome teased.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha barked, unceremoniously throwing Miroku off of him.

The monk woke up and sent a glare Inuyasha's way.

"Whoops..." Inuyasha chuckled nervously.

"Anyway," the reincarnated priestess started, "Kaede is coming to treat Inuyasha's wound in a few minutes and she wanted me to inform you guys that she need to be alone with Inuyasha in order to treat him properly."

"Why is that?" Miroku asked.

"Well, we wouldn't want him getting _distracted_," Kagome added with a wink. Both men blushed a furious red.

"I'll wait outside," Miroku said upon seeing Kaede step through the doorway. He gave his lover a quick peck on the cheek before leaving.

----Scene Change----

Miroku sat at the base of a large oak tree (A/N: They do have those in Japan, right?), deciding to nap after having lunch (which Inuyasha could not eat with the rest of them, giving way to complaints that lasted about an hour before Kaede calmed him down with herbs that made him drowsy.). Just as he was about to fall asleep, a gentle gust of wind blew across his face. He sensed the aura of a person who was neither good nor evil, not living nor dead, but somewhere in between. Looking up, he saw the very person he was thinking of a few feet away- Kikyo. She approached him slowly, a stony glare present on her face. He stood up and asked her what she was doing here in the nicest way possible.

"Do not play with me, monk. You know why I am here."

Miroku's face was one of bewilderment, not knowledge. Therefore, he asked, "No, I don't, why are you here?"

"Miroku, that is your name, is it not?"

Miroku nodded his head, still extremely confused. Kikyo gave a sadistic chuckle.

"I hear that you and Inuyasha have gotten.... together," she said as she smirked.

The monk just stared at her wide-eyed. "How did you find out about that?" he asked slowly.

"I have my sources," the long-dead priestess replied. She then drew her bow and arrow, aiming them at Miroku.

"What are you doing? Why turn your weapon on me? Is it because you still have feelings for Inuyasha? Or is it that that you're still spiteful of your death, even though you now know it wasn't his fault?" Miroku questioned, glaring at Kikyo.

"I realize that it is not the fault of Inuyasha, but as far as my feelings for him, they are not of love. They are of hatred."

"Why do you hate him?"

"I do not know the answer to that, monk. Perhaps it is because I went to the grave believing him to be the one who killed me. I will destroy all that makes him happy."

Kikyo shot her arrow at Miroku, who moved out of the way fast enough to have it stuck in the tree instead of him.

"Stop this senseless violence, Kikyo!" the passive monk shouted, trying to reason with his attacker, but she just ignored him and shot two more arrows at him simultaneously. Once again, he barely managed to dodge.

However, on Kikyo's third try, she shot four arrows at once in such a way that it was impossible to avoid all of them. One of them hit Miroku's right shoulder, causing him to collapse in pain. As he backed away, Kikyo drew another arrow to make the final blow, aiming it for his heart. He winced, knowing that with his sucking shoulder wound he wouldn't have a chance to escape.

Suddenly, Inuyasha came bursting out of the hut and ran fast as a speeding bullet past the clay woman, snatching the arrow out of her grasp and breaking it in half upon stopping.

"Inuyasha...." Miroku and Kikyo said in two very different tones: Miroku's thankful and Kikyo's threatening.

The hanyou walked over to his lover and checked the damage. When he saw the source of the blood he smelled, he became furious.

"What the hell did you do this for, Kikyo?!"

Kikyo remained silent.

"Well?!"

"As I have told the monk, my goal is no longer to kill you but to make you suffer as I did when I was killed."

"But you know Naraku was the one who killed you, so why do you hate me so much?!"

"I went to the grave with the thought of you as my killer. Even if I wanted to remove the seed of hatred for you planted that day, it is impossible. I will always loathe you."

On that note, the priestess caught between the world of the living and the dead stalked off.

"We've got to get your wounds treated. Do you have enough strength to stand?" Inuyasha asked his lover worriedly.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay," Miroku replied, slowly getting up. He stumbled a bit as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

"Here, lean on me," Inuyasha said, draping Miroku's injured arm over his broad shoulders. The pair slowly made their way to the hut (A/N: Which really wasn't that far a distance now that I think about it, so maybe I should've worded that differently. Meh.).

As they entered the hut, Kaede asked what happened to them and what all the commotion was. Inuyasha explained as calmly as a hanyou with a hurt lover could, which wasn't very calm.

"Settle down, Inuyasha. Miroku will be fine," the old healer said.

Inuyasha did as he was told for once, although in typical Inuyasha fashion he did it with a huff. As he watched Kaede tend to Miroku's wound, he started thinking about all the crazy stuff that had happened in the short time the two of them had become boyfriends. It made him worry about what the future held. Would things always be this way? Would there constantly be people trying to steal their happiness away from them? He wondered....

Eventually, he came to a conclusion. The only way for him to assure that they would always be together no matter what, even after death, was to make Miroku his mate. While some may beg to differ, he didn't think it was too soon. Hell, most demons take their mates shortly after meeting them. This would probably be considered a long wait by the standards of the demon world. In any case, his reasoning had nothing to do with time constraints. He knew Miroku was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his days with and come soon, he would make that happen.

A/N: I added more to this chapter than I had originally written, but I'm still a little surprised at how short it turned out. Anyway, this isn't the end, even though I might have made it sound like it. I still plan on packing a few more chapters in before concluding this story. I will say, however, that I do no plan on making it anywhere near as long as my Sailor Moon chapter fic. It should still be a good length, though. Well, that's all for now! R&R please! Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 6: Proposal!

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! Long time, no update. Oddly enough, I knew where I wanted to take this chapter, but I seemed to have trouble thinking of a way to start it. I'm still not sure, if I chose the best way, but it is what it is, right? Anyway, you guys have been waiting long enough, so on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I wish I could make some monetary value off of this fic, but lacking the legal rights to Inuyasha, I cannot.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 6: Proposal?!

Kagome had long since gotten over the fact that she could not have Inuyasha's heart. When she thought of it, she actually thought things worked out for the better. After all, Inuyasha and Miroku turned out to be an adorable couple, and they obviously loved each other very much. She even gained a new status in Inuyasha's eyes- that of a best friend.

Not long after he and Miroku got together, he started confiding in Kagome much more than he had in the past, something that not only shocked her but probably shocked the hanyou as well. Mind you, he still kept a lot to himself, but the fact that he was sharing anything at all was enough for her.

"Hey, Kagome!"

The reincarnated priestess looked to her left to see the hanyou approaching her with the same look in his eyes he always had when he wanted to confide in her.

"Hey there, Inuyasha. Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah."

"Well, what is it?"

"I've decided to make Miroku my mate," he said bluntly.

Kagome's eyes grew wide with excitement and she squealed so loud that she hurt Inuyasha's sensitive ears.

"Dammit, will ya shut up!" the hanyou shouted as he checked to make sure his ears were still intact.

"Sorry," the teen giggled. "So when are you going to propose to him?"

"Propose?! It's not like I'm marrying him! That's not how it works in the demon world!"

"But Miroku's not a demon- he's a human!"

"So what? He ain't a girl either!"

Kagome's face became marred with anger as she listened to the hanyou's argument. 'Time to teach this close-minded jerk a lesson!'

"Osuwari!"

"Hey, what the hell did ya do that for?!"

Kagome kneeled down to her friend currently in the ground and shot him a glare.

"Just because Miroku is a guy doesn't mean he doesn't want to be married one day. Remember, he discussed marrying Sango at one point (A/N: Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Miroku hint at that in one episode? If I am wrong, just play it off as something he said outside of the canon). I don't think he would appreciate it if you just decided he was yours without any kind of commitment involved. Humans have traditions too, you know."

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment. Would Miroku really be upset if he didn't do things the human way? He surely didn't want to lose him over something like this. With great reluctance, the hanyou decided to take his best friend's advice and grumbled a "fine."

"Wonderul!" the teen said with a clap. "I knew you would see things my way!"

"Yeah, yeah… So what do I have to do?"

"First off, you have to get him an engagement ring. Are there any blacksmiths nearby?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to leave the village by sunrise tomorrow. We don't have time to sit around and wait for a blacksmith to make some stupid ring while Naraku goes around collecting jewel shards!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. There has to be some alternative… I know! We could get a ring from my era!"

"What would it matter? We'd still be waiting for a blacksmith. Even with all that future crap you have there's no way we would make it in time for tomorrow."

"No silly, we can go to a jewelry shop! You can pick out the stone, the cut, and the band you want to make your own personalized ring, just like a blacksmith here would do."

"I guess that would be okay. But we had better get back here before nightfall! I don't wanna spend all day shopping!"

"Fine, fine. Let's go!" the teen squealed as she dragged Inuyasha to the  
Bone Eater's Well.

----Scene Change----

Kagome and Inuyasha chose to go to Kagome's all-time favorite jewelry store to buy the ring after a quick stop at her house for some cash. Inside the store there was a special section for wedding bands and engagement rings. The pair was amazed at the immense amount of options to choose from. There were your typical diamond rings, stones of varying colors, and bands made of both silver and gold with all different designs on them. One stone in particular caught the eye of the hanyou and he stopped his browsing.

"Inuyasha?" his best friend asked, noticing their eyes had stopped their wandering.

"That's it. That's the one," the hanyou said, pointing to a deep purple rounded stone.

"That one? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure!"

"Why that one?"

The hanyou paused for a moment before speaking.

"It reminds me of his beautiful eyes," he said with an oddly dreamy look on his face and a small smile.

"Aww, that's so cute! What band are you going to set it in?"

"Hmm… I don't know about that….?

"How about silver? I think it would match much better than gold or bronze."

"Okay, sounds good. Now let's get out of here. I've had enough of this stupid shop."

----Scene Change----

When the pair got back to the feudal era, Inuyasha started to look for Miroku. He couldn't remember the last time he was this excited about something. Hell, maybe he never _was _this excited about anything. He was finally going to make the monk his. Just when he saw his love in the horizon, he was pulled back by Kagome.

"What the hell, Kagome?!" he barked.

The teen let go of his arm and shook her head.

"You can't just barge in there, give him the ring, and set a wedding date!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because you have to get down on one knee and actually _propose_ to him first!"

"What the hell am I supposed to say?!"

"Well, how do you feel?"

Inuyasha's eyes softened as he thought about it for a moment. Yes, he loved him, there was no doubt about that, but he didn't know how to put it into words. He could say the three simple ones, but that didn't seem like enough for a proposal speech. He was convinced Kagome wouldn't let him do it that way anyway.

He thought about what it was about Miroku that made him feel the way he did. He did think he was hot, but he doubted being that blunt would fly. He also loved his smile. No, not the fake one that covered up his emotions- the real one that only Inuyasha had the privilege to see whenever they were having a moment alone together. He only wished he could see it more.

The hanyou slowly started walking towards his lover again, who luckily hadn't moved from his spot.

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?! You haven't prepared your speech yet!" his best friend called out to him.

"Don't worry," he called back, "I'll be fine!"

'Oh my,' Kagome thought as she let out a sigh, 'I hope he doesn't screw this up…'

----Scene Change----

"Hey."

Miroku woke from his nap under an old oak tree (A/N: Same as the one in the last chapter) and looked up at his lover.

"Hey there, yourself," he said as he stood up and gave his lover a chaste kiss on the lips. "Where have you been all day? I was looking all over for you."

Inuyasha didn't respond. He merely chuckled, got down on one knee, and pulled a small blue velvet box out of his pocket.

"Inuyasha….?" The monk asked, bewildered.

Inuyasha opened the box to reveal the ring. Miroku's eyes went wide with surprise.

"Now, I'm not great at giving big speeches, but hear me out. I love to see you smile. If I can get a real one outta ya, it makes me happier than anything else in the world. I'd like to see that smile more often. Maybe I can make that happen. Will you marry me?"

"Inuyasha… I…" the monk stammered.

Inuyasha's face fell and he prepared for the worst.

'Damn, maybe I shouldn't have done this…'

Miroku then smiled a genuine smile, bringing Inuyasha's hopes back up.

"I will. I will marry you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha got up from his knee and placed the ring on his now fiance's ring finger.

"There's that smile I was lookin' for," the hanyou said as he met his fiance in a deep, long kiss.

A/N: Wooh, finally done! This chapter took me forever to complete, but I'm happy with the way it came out. There should be a couple more chapters before the wedding chapter, but not many. I want everyone's opinion on whether or not I should put a lemon in the last chapter. I've never written one before, and I may never write one unless I get a poll on whether or not people think it would be a good idea to put at the very least in this story. Leave your opinions in a review! That's all for now! Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 7: Sesshomaru's 2nd Attempt Pt1

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! I know, I know, it has been far too long since my last update. I even got a review that said 'Must update'. It was so flattering! ^_^ I'm glad all of you like my fic so much. I'm sorry I didn't update this sooner. Life just got in the way and I was playing with three concepts for where I wanted to take this chapter for the longest time, so that's why. Since you guys have been waiting long enough already, I'll shut up now. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: Do you see the awesomeness that is InuyahsaxMiroku in the manga or anime? Didn't think so. Therefore, I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own the rights to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 7: Sesshomaru's Second Attempt Part 1: Capture

Nothing could squash Inuyahsa's current happiness. Just yesterday, he had proposed to the man he loved and today he got to enjoy the comfort of knowing that Miroku would soon be his completely and inarguably as the two of them snuggled in each other's arms in the early morning. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at peace.

He lifted up his lover's chin gently and stared into his beautiful purple orbs, which were in turn staring at his golden ones with adoration. The pair were moving in slowly for a kiss when suddenly....

"Inuyasha!!!" Kagome screamed as she came running up towards the two with blazing speed.

Miroku sighed and chuckled a bit, disappointed by the interruption but not necessarily angry about it. Inuyasha on the other hand? Well....

"Dammit, Kagome! What the hell is your problem?! Can't you see we were tryin' to have a moment here?!" the hanyou yelled.

"Sheesh, sorry. No need to get so worked up over it. Besides, I have very important things to discuss with you."

"Such as?" Inuyasha inquired as he eyed the girl from the future with her hands behind her back suspiciously.

Kagome took her hands out from behind her back to reveal a large stack of scrolls, half adorned with red ribbons and half adorned with purple ribbons.

"What are those, Kagome?" Miroku asked.

"These are wedding invitations. You guys need to figure out who to send them to and sign them."

"I don't even know that many people to invite," Inuyasha said with a huff. "'Sides, I don't want a big party anyway."

"Well, you never know, Mirouku might to invite a lot of people," Kagome countered.

"Actually, Kagome, I see weddings as a more private affair that should only be shared with family and close friends. Other than you, Sango, Kaede, Shippo, and Master Mushin, I can't think of anyone else I would want to invite."

Kagome felt a little dejected. She had _so _wanted to plan this grand wedding for her two betrothed friends, with hundreds of guests and elaborate decorations. She was going to have it be the biggest wedding of the Feudal Era, one to go down in the history books! And when she saw it in her class textbooks, she could feel proud knowing that she was the one who planned it all. But, she had to respect her friends' wishes. She sighed.

"Well," she started, "what about Koga?"

"That mangy mutt? No way!" Inuyasha shouted. "Why the hell would we invite him?"

"Well, he has helped us out in the past and this would be a good way of letting him know that he doesn't have to go at it with you over me anymore."

"Even though I don't like you like that, that doesn't mean I want him getting you either."

Kagome sighed again. "That's not the point. I have no problems turning him down myself. The point is that I won't have to have him barging in here at random times picking fights with you anymore."

"It would be good for clarity reasons, Inuyasha," Miroku added.

"Fine," Inuyasha relented. "The mutt can come to the wedding."

"Good," Kagome smiled. "Now what about your brother?"

The hanyou blew up at the mere suggestion.

"Of all people, you think we need to invite him?!"

"But--"

"But what?! You think that just 'cause he's family I want him at my wedding?! You seem to forget the fact that he tried to steal Miroku away from me. There's no way in hell I'm going to invite him to my wedding!!!" With that, Inuyasha stormed off.

The reincarnated priestess was stunned. She didn't expect to get such a bad reaction from the hanyou, despite what had happened before with Miroku and the past between the two brothers.

'Maybe I shouldn't have asked..." she thought.

Miroku saw the look on the teen's face and felt sorry for her. He knew she meant well, but even he knew that kind of question wouldn't go over too well. He walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I know you meant well. Inuyahsa is just overly possessive sometimes and thinks that Sesshomaru will try and take me away from him again. I'd like to say he's wrong, but I have no way to be sure he is. That's probably why he blew up at you. Don't take it too personally, okay?"

Kagome looked at Miroku and nodded, giving him a soft smile.

"Good. Now, I'm going to see if I can go calm Inuyasha down, okay?"

"Okay."

The two exchanged smiles before Miroku left and Kagome went about planning the wedding as much as she could without them.

----Scene Change----

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru turned around to see his loyal servant Jaken running up to him, flailing about madly as he called his name.

"What is it, Jaken?" he asked.

"I just overheard two humans talking about the upcoming union of Inuyasha and Miroku! Apparently, they had stopped by that old healer's hut to deliver an invitation and the word spread quickly throughout the town!"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"What do you plan to do, M'lord?

"Jaken, stay here and guard Rin. I shall be back shortly."

"Does this mean you are planning to attempt to take Miroku again, M'lord? I mean, it didn't exactly work out for you well last time and-"

Sesshomaru hit Jaken over the head. "Just do as I say, Jaken.

"Yes, M'lord..." the little imp said as he rubbed his aching head.

----Scene Change----

"Man, I'm glad all that crap is over with," Inuyasha said as he put his arms behind his head.

"Not quite, Inuyasha. The planning may be done but we still have to deliver the last invitation to Master Mushin."

"So? If we haul it, we can be there in a couple of days."

"Well, for right now we should probably set up camp. It will be nightfall soon," Sango said.

As the group started to set up their camp, golden eyes peered at them through the trees from a safe enough distance that no one would suspect something was amiss. Those eyes belonged to none other than Sesshomaru, who had decided to take a different approach for capturing Miroku. He normally avoided using such sneaky tactics to get what he wanted, as he thought it made him a little too much like that bastard Naraku, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He knew that his half-brother's friends were probably on guard, waiting for him to strike and therefore would be prepared. As confident as he was in his fighting abilities, he did not feel like dealing with those little pests.

He saw his opportunity to corner the monk arise when he was sent off on his own to gather wood for the fire. When he was far enough away from the rest of the group, Sesshomaru striked. He came out of his hiding place at the speed of light and landed gracefully yet swiftly in front of the object of his affection, who was startled to say the least!

"Sesshomaru!" he gasped.

Sesshomaru didn't respond- he merely released a special sleeping gas he obtained from a poisons maker shortly after his failure to capture Miroku the first time around. He didn't expect to be using it so soon as he wanted to plan out his second attempt further, but after hearing the news of the wedding he knew he had no time to waste.

The monk succumbed to the gas and fell to the ground. Sesshomaru gathered him up in his arms and proceeded to take his leave. As he was leaving, airborne, he heard Inuyasha's voice screaming as he desperately tried to catch up to him, but to no avail. He was too far off in the distance for him to ever catch up, a mere speck at this pint.

Inuyasha screamed his lover's ma,e as he saw him being carried off to the point of no return.

"MIROKU!!!!!"

A/N: How evil am I? I leave you guys hanging for the longest time, then I leave you with a cliffy. Hopefully, though, you won't have to wait too long for the next update. Also, I'm not going to make this more than a two-parter, so no need to worry- I'm not going to drag out the suspense for too long. Only a couple chapters left to go! R&R please! Ja ne!


	8. Chapter 8: Sesshomaru's 2nd Attempt Pt2

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! I'm starting to think there is something up with this story. It seems that every time I upload a chapter, few MONTHS go by without an update. Mind you, there are various underlying factors that have prevented me from doing so (lack of ideas being one of them), but still, this bugs me. I do try to update, though. Anyway, since I've kept all of you on a cliffhanger for far too long, here's the fic!

Disclaimer: I think the series would be much more yaoi filled if I had the rights to it.

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 8: Sesshomaru's Second Attempt Part 2: Retrieval 

Miroku woke up feeling groggy with a throbbing headache.

"Ugh…" he groaned.

As his eyes adjusted themselves, he saw that he was in a large, dark room.

_Where am I? _he asked himself.

From what he could tell with the lack of lighting, the room was decorated with highly valuable ornaments, paintings, and furniture from around the world. The comfy bed he was currently laying on had to cost somewhere in the millions of yen. Without a doubt, it was a room suited for a king.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, all the events from the night before came flooding back.

"Sesshomaru!" he hollered and got up to go search for his captor. He was about to leave the room when he bumped into a tall, solid figure standing in the doorway.

"Is there something you need, monk?" the figure which revealed itself to be the demon lord in question asked.

"Yes, I do. I need you to let me go," Miroku answered sternly.

"I'm afraid that's not a service I can provide. Are you hungry?"

"Let me out of here. If you don't do it by will, I will have to force you to do it."

"Ah, monk, so valiant even when your in a no-win situation. It's one of the reasons I like you. However, as much as I do not want to harm you, I will if need be."

Miroku jumped back and raised his staff, then charged at the youkai. Sesshomaru caught his staff and used his poison to melt it, then kicked Miroku back and threw the gob of liquid metal on the floor.

"My staff!" the monk cried.

"As you can see, you are in no position to fight me. Now, like I've already said, I will not harm you provided you do not try to attack me or make an escape. I promise that you will be treated very well here, much better than you would have been treated on the outside of this castle. Every night you will eat delicious meals, bath in the finest, most soothing baths, and sleep in a comfortable bed with thousand thread count sheets."

"I don't want any of that! I want…"

"What? That hanyou? What can he offer you that I can't?"

Miroku thought about it for a moment before responding. "Love- something that I doubt you are capable of feeling," he said.

"I have already determined that I am in love with you. Do not try and tell me what I am and am not capable of feeling."

Realizing that his argument was going nowhere, Miroku heaved a heavy sigh and tried once again to get past his captor. Sesshomaru grabbed him by the arms and leaned in for a hungry kiss that he couldn't break no matter how much he resisted.

"I think I'll leave you here for now, monk," Sesshomaru said shutting the door and locking Miroku inside.

The monk almost crumpled to the floor in shame. Not only was he unable to get his lover's number one enemy next to Naraku off of him, the kiss was filled with nothing but lust so far as he could tell. He hoped that Inuyasha and his friends were able to save him before Sesshomaru marked him for life…

-Scene Change-

"C'mon, what are you guys doin'? Pick up the pace!"

In his haste to get Miroku back, Inuyasha had been running at a frantic pace for the past three hours, while the Kagome, Sango, and Shippo rode on Kirara behind him. Unfortunately, the cat demon had a nasty cold and was tiring out quicker than she would normally.

"What do you expect us to do, Inuyasha? I understand that you want to get to Miroku as soon as possible, but Kirara has a cold and we're not able to keep up with you on our own," Sango just barely got out without shouting at her friend.

"Sango's right, Inuyasha," Kagome said in a calm voice. "You just have to trust that nothing bad will happen to Miroku before we get there."

"Nothing bad? Nothing bad? What the hell are you thinking? It's my brother, of course something bad is going to happen! We don't have any time to waste!" Inuyasha yelled, his mind still clouded by thoughts of Miroku being harmed, or worse, dying.

Kagome could only look at her best friend sadly. She couldn't imagine what he could be going through, and she knew the only thing that would make him feel any better was getting Miroku back. Until then, he would remain as he was- panicked, angry, and frustrated.

-Scene Change-

Since Sesshomaru had left him, Miroku could do little more than think, both about his predicament and his captor. To his surprise, the latter of the two ended up taking up most of his thoughts.

Why would someone so cold-hearted as Sesshomaru say he was in love with anyone, much less a human? Did this mean that he wasn't as stony as he seemed? There was Rin, the little girl he had taken under his wing despite his disdain for the whole human race. He seemed to love her like a father would. So did that mean he could also love someone like a soul mate would? Were his intentions toward Miroku entirely what he made them out to be? Miroku couldn't seem to answer this question.

At that moment, Sesshomaru decided to enter the room. He strode over to the bedside on which Miroku was laying and sat down next to him with an almost serene look in his eyes.

_Well this is certainly different_, thought Miroku.

"I believe I scared you earlier, at least to some extent," the demon lord started. "That was not my intention. I do not want you to love me out of fear- I want you to love me in the exact same way you love that hanyou. I am not sure what that way is, but I do know that the light I saw in your eyes when you were talking about him is something that I want to see in your eyes when talking about me. Right now, all I see fear and hatred."

Sesshomaru leaned in slower this time and placed a gentle kiss on Miroku's lips.

"I will leave you now. If you are hungry, there is supper ready for you downstairs that can be heated whenever you desire."

Sesshomaru once again left the room, leaving Miroku stunned.

_Maybe he really does love me… _he thought.

-Scene Change-

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru looked toward the direction of the voice and saw Rin running up to him.

"What is it, Rin?"

"It's Inuyasha! He and his friends are trying to break into the castle!"

"What?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru, I saw them breaking through the front gates."

"I will go take care of this. Stay here."

-Scene Change-

Sesshomaru jumped down to the large front yard of his castle from the roof and drew his sword.

"There you are!" his brother screamed at him. "Give Miroku back!"

"No chance."

The youkai dashed at the speed of light toward Inuyasha, drawing his Tokijin. In turn, Inuyasha charged and him and unsheathed his Tetsaiga. The two swords clashed and wind encircled the adversaries. They both were charging their ultimate attacks when they heard a male voice shouting at them to stop. Looking over their shoulders with one eye, they saw Miroku running toward them. Hesitantly, they sheathed their swords.

_How did he manage to get past my guards? _Sesshomaru thought, making plans to kill his obviously incompetent henchmen.

There was a strange fire in the monk's eyes that matched the one Inuyasha had in his eyes when he was fighting to get his lover a few moments ago, a fact that Sesshomaru didn't fail to notice. The fire showed love, passion, and the need to protect a mate- that's right, a mate. As much as he hated to admit it, Sesshomaru could see that the two were kindred spirits who were practically mates already without having gone through the mating ceremony. In the demon world, it is unsaid law that no demon tries to get in between another demon and his or her mate. Because of this, and the fact that he was a proud demon lord, Sesshomaru decided to back off.

Looking into the eyes of his once love standing in front of his half-brother, he said, "I shall no longer interfere."

"What?" Kagome gasped, more than a little surprised.

"I did not believe these two to be true mates. However, when I saw a special fire in their eyes today that only kindred spirits possess. In the demon world, one does not get in between mates, no matter how in love he or she is with one of them. Therefore, I shall no longer pursue the monk."

Everyone was silent. Miroku stepped out from in front of Inuyasha and went to his side, clasping their hands together. He could tell that his lover was still suspicious of his brother's honesty, so he squeezed his hand and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," he said, no anger present in his voice.

"There is no need to thank me. I am not doing this as a favor to you or your partner."

"I know, but I want to thank you anyway."

Sesshomaru merely went 'hn,' then returned to his castle.

"Are you okay? That bastard didn't do anything to you, did he?" Inuyasha asked his lover, slight panic still present in his voice.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha. Let's just return to Kaede village and finish making the wedding plans."

The group nodded and headed back to finish up all the preparations for the upcoming ceremony.

A/N: Yays! Done! I just realized that throughout this whole fic I made Miroku pretty helpless, even in this chapter. Sorry to everyone who was looking for a little role-reversal. Only two chapters left to go! Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to R&R! Ja ne!


	9. IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!

A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I know that I have promised and promised and promised again that this story would be completed "soon". Obviously, that has not happened. I really don't have a great excuse to be honest. I have been soooo worried about making all my loyal readers/reviewers satisfied with the conclusion chapter (and possible epilogue) that my nerves have prevented me from writing it up. I have ideas, don't worry, but even after a year and a half I haven't thought about it enough to decide on one. I know chapter places are not meant for this sort of thing, but I'm desperate and hoping you guys can help me. If you are new to the story and just coming upon it, please read the chapter I've actually written before responding to this.

Basically, I would like you all to decide what sort of wedding Inuyasha and Miroku should have and if there should be yet another issue that arises or if the whole thing should go off without a hitch. Wedding ideas are:

-Feudal era Japanese style wedding

-Typical American we know it today

-Modern day Japanese style wedding

-A combination of the second and third choices

Please, please, PLEASE respond to this via private message or review. The quicker I can get some help, the quicker the story can be finished (for real this time) and likely the happier everyone will be with the outcome. In the meantime, I'm going to try and pick up writing again since I have a lot more time on my hands (I have another 2 weeks before 2nd semester starts) and put out a few stories in my usual fandoms, with a special surprise fandom as well that will be totally new.

Thank you all for your help!


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